Best Robot Vacuum For Thick Carpet and Pet Hair
If you own pets, a robot vacuum is required to keep up with the fur shedding. Pick a model that comes with a large dustbin and can empty the bin.
Look for a model that has virtual no-go zones as well as mapping to keep it away from sensitive areas like pet bowls or beds. Also, look for models with smart features, such as scheduling and a smartphone app.
1. Neato D7
The D7 is the top model in the Neato robotic vacuum line. It has excellent navigation capabilities and is controlled by either the app or Alexa. The D7, unlike many robots that struggle to navigate without a map, uses advanced sensors and lasers to create a digital map. This lets you set virtual "No-Go" lines with just a couple of clicks. This means that the D7 will be able to avoid areas it should not go (without the requirement for barriers or towers).
The D7's cleaning performance is impressive. It is able to take up an average of 99.8 percent of Cheerios scattered on the floor This is slightly better than Roomba i7+'s 94.6 percent and the Shark Ion R85's 100 percent. The D7 also manages to maneuver well on both bare and high-pile carpet.
Another nice feature is the ability to choose between two different levels of cleaning. There's an Eco mode that operates the vacuum quietly and prolongs the time of run, whereas Turbo mode offers a more powerful clean. The Turbo mode is loud, which can be annoying when you use the D7 to watch TV or work.
The D7 is one of the few robots that are capable of creating and keeping multiple floor plans. This is ideal for multi-level homes. It also has a rapid boost feature, which permits it to return to its base and recharge prior to continuing cleaning. This is especially useful when you're cleaning tough areas. Neato's application is simple to use and frequently updated with new features. It is among the cheapest robots on the market for thick carpets and pet hair.
2. Eufy RoboVac 11S
The Eufy 11S, like the Neato D7 is sleek and low-profile. It can fit under couches, beds, and coffee tables more easily than other robot vacuums. It also has some innovations that help it clean well and where you want it be, including no-go lines that you could draw on its virtual maps to stop the robot from removing sensitive areas like pet bowls and beds. It also has an auto-recharge feature and resume, in the event that it is unable to recharge its battery before it has finished cleaning, it will return to its base, recharge it, and restart where it began.
The RoboVac 11S performs better than its predecessor, the eufy RoboVac 30C and also better than the ILIFE A4s and bObsweep Bob Pro in our tests. It has a bigger dirt compartment, a longer battery life and is able to remove more dirt from low pile carpets and high pile carpets to floor surfaces that are bare. It is also better-built, easier to maintain and incurs less recurring expenses, and maneuvers itself more effectively.
It's not the best robot vacuum for bare floors, but it is an ideal choice for households with medium carpet and pets. It uses random navigation and sensors in its bumper and underbelly to navigate through obstacles. This isn't as sophisticated as the mapping technology in other robots, but it works well enough and gets into places that other robots aren't able to reach. It has spin brushes to clean walls, and a larger 0.6-liter dust bin. It comes with an actual remote control that has a monochrome display, charging dock, four attachable side brushes, two extra filters, and a cleaning tool.
3. iLife VS3 Professional
If you have pets, you'll need an effective robot vacuum to get rid of pet hair. Even the best robot vacuums can struggle with this hair, which clings to rugs and floors. I test how much dog and cat fur robots collect from a floor by measuring the amount of hair they can take in. I also test the robot's capability to navigate around the home. This includes how it moves over a typical threshold as well as around table legs and furniture, and underneath the couch. Some robots are able to map their homes, making use of sensors to sense their way through the set-up process and create an image of the house. This lets them better avoid obstacles during future cleaning cycles.
The iLife V3s Pro is one of the best models we tested for navigating around your home. It's also very affordable. It also did well in my tests to remove pet hair, snagging nearly all of the hair off hardwood floors and it only lowered its score a bit when it was tested on carpet.
The V3s Pro, unlike many other robot vacuums, doesn't utilize a brush roll. Instead, it rely on two spinning side brushes to break up debris and push it into an opening of three inches at base of the device. Although this isn't a very efficient system for carpet, it's still impressive for such an inexpensive unit.
The iLife V3s Pro is also capable of mopping. It did a good job on floors that were bare and picked up bits of tinsel and mud from my tests. That said, it's not as efficient as the best robot mops.
4. Roborock s7
For a robotic vacuum with impressive technological capabilities, the Roborock S7 is a great value. This mid-priced model performs like a lot of high-end models and is easy to use and maintain. It also has a wide variety of high-end features that are similar to the features of robots that cost twice its price. This makes it a great option for someone who is buying for the first time or someone who is upgrading from an entry-level model or anyone who wants to save time and effort while cleaning their home.
This robot can be used on both carpet and unfinished floors. Its suction strength of 2,000Pa is able to handle the toughest carpeting. It's able to clean pet hair from crevices and cracks even on floors that are bare. It's built well, performs well and can be used with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands for hands-free operation. The battery is smaller than the other models, but is still sufficient to power homes in most cases.
The S7 is also a fantastic mopping robot. It comes with a 200ml reservoir of water and mopping pads which can be easily connected to the robot's back. Add water and a microfiber towel, and the s7 will begin mopping your floors. After best self emptying robot vacuum and mop for pet hair mopping is complete, the s7 will return to its dock and stop automatically.
The companion app is simple to use and features a sleek layout that is loaded with features. You can draw a home-based map or set virtual boundaries the s7 can't cross, create 'no go' zones, or tell it to clean one specific room. You can also view its maintenance history, its current status, and even monitor its performance.
5. Neato Q5 Pro
The Neato Q5 Pro is a versatile robot vacuum that is excellent at cleaning bare floors. It also cleans up a significant amount of dirt from carpets of both high and low pile. It is well-built and has an array of navigational features. It's also easy to maintain. However it has a lower maximum battery life than some other models and is subject to higher cost-per-use.
The Q5 is among the slowest robots we have tested, however, its layout algorithm is reliable and doesn't require any additional attention after its first run through a space. It starts by mapping out a perimeter, then fills in the interior using the lines of a series. Once the job is done, it returns to the charging station if it was not at the base.
It did an excellent job of cleaning hardwood floors by sucking at least 88% dirt from every test. It struggled more on low- and high-pile carpets, but still performed better than the average unit. It also has mopping attachments to clean up wet spills. We haven't tested it.
Its maneuverability, which is higher than the average for lidar robots is the fact that it can hit furniture or other obstacles with a soft bump. Its navigation system is able to detect stairs and floors with multiple levels, which is a nice touch that allows it to efficiently navigate multi-story homes. It also can identify specific room types when you select them within the app. It can also adjust the power level, establish no-go zones and view a map showing the current area of cleaning. The Q5 is controlled via the mobile app, as well as voice commands from Alexa Google Assistant and Apple Siri.